Poet’s Corner | Oliver Leech Architects

Set within a residential neighbourhood in the Poet’s Corner Conservation Area of South London, a wide late 19th century terraced house has been renovated and extended by Oliver Leech Architects. The vision was to create a house that prioritised a connection to light and nature throughout.

The main focus of the project was to strip back a dated 1990s renovation and re-organise the layout to create a spacious, long-term family home that now includes details including a wildflower meadow roof and vast overhead glazing. The result is a rational and relaxed home, tailored to accommodate the young family of four.

The Victorian house, set within a conservation area in Herne Hill, caught the eye of Nick and Rebecca Croome, who sought a renovation project to define a home suited to their personal style without compromising on heritage and quality. With a vision of doing less but at a higher standard, they engaged Oliver Leech Architects through a friend’s recommendation, and worked closely with the studio to transform their dream into reality.

The clients left the brief relatively open to Oliver, asking his studio to rediscover and retain the home's original Victorian character and charm, and introduce functional and contemporary spaces finished with natural materials and light throughout.

The renovation of Poet’s Corner House is best felt in the flow of movement throughout the home. Oliver redesigned the home’s spatial arrangement, taking advantage of the generous width of the plot to introduce light and reorganise a new internal layout that better serves the clients’ needs. The pre-existing network of small, disconnected, dark rooms has been replaced at ground floor by a stepped plan complete with sitting room, music space and open plan kitchen-living area set within a new side and rear extension which opens onto a stepped landscaped garden, also designed by the architects.

An important requirement of the brief was access to greenery. The ground floor features multiple sight lines to the gardens and sky, which act as natural wayfinding devices, drawing visitors through the house.

A new light-well and courtyard framed in oak creates a peaceful window seat at the centre of the plan, drawing an abundance of planting and natural light into the home. The oak joinery aligns with a step change, marking a clean timber datum leading down into the social heart of the home. A four metre wide double-glazed skylight is introduced at this point, adding soft, south-facing light to the space and revealing a first look at the wildflower meadow which is planted across the entire extension roof.

CONTINUES
The new kitchen and open living area has been strategically sunken down by 40 centimetres to create generous ceiling height and provide depth to accommodate window seating, placing occupants closely among the garden’s border planting. Large sliding doors separate the window seat and garden, opening in the summer months to give the family a true experience of indoor-outdoor living. The kitchen is top lit by a slender section of overhead glazing, and finished in a deep forest green that compliments the green tones of the marble benchtops.

Oliver Leech Architects have enhanced the indoor-outdoor connection by continuing the polished concrete floor outside. The concrete patio is offset by warm tones of Con Mosso bricks covered with a lime slurry to achieve a soft, textured effect.

Upstairs, the theme of crafting highly functional spaces in a forever home setting continues. On the first floor, a large master bedroom and ensuite bathroom replaces two smaller rooms, decorated with lime wash paint and natural linens, giving a sense of both elegance and comfort. The first floor also features a separate family bathroom with marble surfaces and tiled walls, and renovated guest bedroom. Two smaller bedrooms for the young children occupy the second floor.

Despite facing strict London planning restrictions, the architects masterfully adapted the designs to meet all requirements without compromising on the original aspiration. Thermal insulation to the front of the house and loft, and double glazing throughout the property, ensures a more efficient and economical home. Oliver Leech Architects have created a harmonious blend of modernity and tradition, designed to serve as a happy family home for many years to come.

Oliver Leech, Director, Oliver Leech Architects says;

Often the best design outcomes come from the simplest solutions, and this was our approach to this project. The design was simmered down into its core components - volume and light. By dropping the whole extension down a few extra steps, the additional height and volume creates a wonderful space. Large skylights and giant sliding doors allow natural light to pour through the house and open up the kitchen onto the tiered gardens. From almost any spot on the ground floor you see greenery and sky - it is easy to forget you are in the middle of London.

Rebecca Croome, Client says;

‘The house is warm and joyful, and welcomes a lot of activity with friends, family and guests. The design features feel modest enough to not interfere with the traditional character, creating a perfect balance. To us, it feels like a retreat to nestle down into, which we hope to do for many years to come.

Photography: Jim Stephenson

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